On Nov 19, 7:07*pm, Pam Moore wrote:
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:17 -0000, "Spider"
wrote:





"Paul Kaye" wrote in message
....
Hi,
I'm really not a big gardener so excuse me if this question has a
simple or obvious answer! I have a mini lemon tree (I've asked about
its fruit previously) growing in a pot. This summer I was away for two
weeks and my wife forgot to water it! The result seems to be that the
top section has died or has been 'cut off' by the tree to conserve
water. As you will see in the photographs, there are no fruit or
leaves above a certain point. Additionally, I think the bark has a
reddish tint at and above the cutoff point (see close-up photo; arrow
indicates cutoff point).

Photos:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/206931/lemon...lemontree1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/206931/lemon...lemontree2.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/206931/lemon...lemontree3.jpg

Could this be caused by two weeks without water in a hot climate
(Israel; ~30°C)?
Could the pot be too small?
Will the upper area recover next spring?
What should I do?

Many thanks in advance for your time,

Paul

What a shame, it's a lovely tree! *I do think that upper growth is
irretrieveably dead, and as it is still dying back beyond that branch near
your arrow, *I think it would be best to cut it out as soon as possible
before the die-back travels even further. *Use clean secateurs and cut back
into healthy wood, then disinfect your blades before you cut anything else.
You don't need any kind of wound paint for such a small cut. * The pot size
looks okay, but it may be a good idea to remove the top layer of soil
(without harming the roots in that layer) and replace it with fresh citrus
compost; water to settle the compost, then replace the cobbles. *This will
give the plant an extra boost to help it deal with putting on new growth..

Spider

I would cut off the deadbit *too, but would also suggest using some of
the lemons if you can. *It looks beautifully laden, but they will take
strength out of the plant. *It has been very stressed and needs all
the strength it can get to recover.

Pam in Bristol

Wow - I came back at the end of the day and found all this advice -
thank you VERY much to all of you! Obviously there is disagreement as
to whether I should cut the dead part off immediately or not. I'll
leave it for now and check it frequently. If it does travel at all
down the main stem / trunk then I'll lop it off straight away.
One follow-on question which Bob's answer touched upon: Once I cut the
main stem / trunk, how do I get the tree to continue to grow upwards.
It seems to have a natural pattern of one main stem with near-
horizontal offshoots. Would I need to tie one of these in a more
upright position or would the tree naturally compensate for the pruned
part?
Thanks again,
Paul
p.s. Hi Pam - I will be using the fruit in about 2 weeks. Once the
'cold' of winter (~10°C here!) sets in they normally ripen into a
lovely yellow and I'll make marmalade :-)